Lead Poisoning

Dedicated advocates for young lead paint victims and their families

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) lists lead poisoning as the number one environmental health hazard for young children. Thornton Law Firm LLP in Boston has been protecting the rights of lead-poisoned children for more than 20 years and has won several multi-million dollar verdicts, including over $6 million for two lead-poisoned siblings.

We have successfully litigated issues concerning —

Insurance coverage

Admissibility of expert testimony

Critical discovery issues

Lead paint and the problems it still causes

Although the sale of lead paint was banned in 1978, old lead paint still poses a threat, especially to children. Children in New England and across the country can become lead poisoned simply by touching surfaces in the home, such as windowsills that contain leaded dust or deteriorating lead paint, and then placing their contaminated fingers in their mouths.

High levels of lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities, a lower IQ, language difficulties, motor problems, and behavioral problems, such as hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. High lead levels, usually found through early screening, should trigger medical treatment and a Department of Public Health property inspection. If lead paint is found, the owner is required to cover or remove it in accordance with DPH regulations.

It is estimated that one out of every 27 Massachusetts children under the age of six has a blood lead level of 10 mcg/dL — high enough to cause a decrease in intelligence, physical growth, and hearing. And 48 percent of Massachusetts’ homes were built before 1950 — 28 years before residential lead paint usage was banned!

Successful representation for Massachusetts families

At Thornton Law Firm, we understand the financial hardship and emotional distress that can come with a diagnosis of childhood lead poisoning.When we represent lead poisoned children, we investigate how the child was poisoned, who is legally responsible, whether the child has lifelong disabilities as a result, and what that suffering means in terms of lost education and earnings.

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